The present invention relates to jewelry that adorns the ear, and more particularly, to earrings which have a top stud element attached to the ear and a bottom dangle element removably attached to the top stud element so that it dangles therefrom.
Stud earrings and earring drops which dangle therefrom have been around for a long time. The top stud element typically consists of a cylindrical basket which holds a round stone therein, a wire post attached to a circular underside of the cylindrical basket for inserting the stud into a hole in the ear, and a nut engagable with the post for securing the stud element to the ear. The cylindrical basket typically has four or six prongs which hold the stone from a top side thereof, a seat which holds the stone from a bottom side thereof, and a circular, flat base below the seat to which the prongs and the post are attached. Traditionally, there have been two ways to dangle an element off such a stud earring, either from the post or from the basket. When the dangle element is suspended from the post, it typically includes a metal protrusion which extends out from the dangle and which has a hole punched therethrough so that the post can be inserted therethrough and then through the ear hole. When the dangle element is attached to the basket, the basket typically has a loop which extends out therefrom, and the dangle has a hook which engages the loop so that the dangle is freely suspended from the top stud. Alternatively, the wire hook may be positioned on the basket and the loop on the dangle element with the same effect.
A revolution in the design of the stud basket provides for a conically shaped basket instead of the traditional cylindrical basket. The conical baskets are typically formed by either two, three, four or six wires which originate at a point and conically extend out therefrom to form the basket. The post is attached at the point where the wires meet. The conical basket arrangement permits the top stud to be inserted deeper into the ear than its cylindrical counterpart and therefore the stud does not “flip or droop over” as is typical with the cylindrical baskets. However, a compromise of the conical basket arrangement has been that it is even more difficult to removably attach a dangling element because there is less surface area to work with on the basket.